Board leveling mechanism



F. CUSANO Jan. 3, 1950 BOARD LEVELING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 28, 1948 INI/NTOR. PAUL. USANO ATTORNEY Jan. 3, 1950 P. CUSANO BOARD LEVELING MEGHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 28, 1948 MIMI" 45 INVENTOR. PAUL CUSANO A-r-roRNEY Patented Jan. 3, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to mechanism for leveling boards, such as those used for game boards.

Game boards of the shulileboard type are usually made of maple strips glued and nailed flat to flat so that the resulting board is approximately three inches thick and twenty inches wide, and in length may range from sixteen to thirty feet. Such game boards, to be satisfactory and to give full play to the skill of the players, must be at and level throughout the entire area of the playing surface. Manufacturers of high grade boards use the best types and grades of wood and go to great expense to produce game boards that satisfy these requirements.

However, even if the boards, when delivered, are entirely satisfactory and are level and flat, they are seriously affected by atmospheric conditions and changes in humidity and such varying conditions cause the board and playing surface to warp out of shape. For instance, they may become concave at the center, with the ends bulging upwardly. Such conditions, moreover, may take place in diierent parts of the same game board where varying conditions exist. When this happens and the playing surface is not level, the Weights do not slide or travel true to form and the players become irritated and lose interest in the game.

This invention has for its salient object to provide simple, practical, and readily accessible means which can be easily operated for leveling boards of the character described.

Another object of the invention is to provide leveling mechanism of the type specified which can be used at, will to level the board and, furthermore, so constructed that the use thereof does not require any special skill or training.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following specification taken in connection with the drawings which form a part of this application, and in which Fig. l is a top plan view of the leveling mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation of a game board showing the leveling mechanism secured to the under surface thereof and in elevation;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional elevation through the central portion of the leveling mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional elevation taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of the board with the leveling mechanism adjusted to pull the central portion of the board downwardly;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but showing the mechanism adjusted to push the central portion of the board upwardly;

Fig. '7 is a vertical sectional elevation through one of the end brackets of the leveling mechanism; and

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional elevation taken Substantially on line 8-8 of Fig. 7, lookingin the direction of the arrows.

In the particular embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, there is shown in section a game board IU which is formed by securing flat to flat a plurality of wooden strips I I, these strips being nailed and glued together under great pressure. When the board is manufactured it is planned and cut to the utmost accuracy so that it is absolutely straight, level and flat, within several thousandths of an inch, both crosswise and lengthwise. Thus, it can be assumed that when the board is delivered it will satisfy all of the most stringent requirements.

However, after the board has been delivered, it is subjected to varying changes in atmospheric conditions and humidity and the adjusting mechanism described below has been designed to enable the owner or user to easily and quickly restore the board to level, flat and satisfactory playing condition.

The game board I0 is supported at its ends on suitable supports and gutters I2 and I3 are formed between the side walls I4 and I5 and the lateral edges of the game board.

The leveling mechanism comprises a pair of brackets 20 and 2| flxedly secured by screws 22 to the board I0 adjacent the outer portions of the board as shown in Figs. 2, 5 and 6.

Each of the brackets has a vertical bore 23 therein and at'the upper end of each bore there is an enlarged recess 24. Before the brackets are screwed to the bottom of the board, a bolt 25 'is inserted in the vertical bore 23, and the head 26 of the bolt rests is the recesses 24.

A rigid beam or bar 30 is secured at its ends to the bolts 25, the bar being clamped between nuts 3| and Washers 32, the Washers 32 being disposed between the upper surface 33 of the beam and the lower ends of the brackets 20, 2I. The bolts 25 extend through alined openings 34 and 35 in the upper and lower portions of the beam.

The beam 30 may be of any desired construction, such as channeled, or having a section of 3 a hollow rectangle, as shown in Fig. 8. Any desired form of rigid beam maybe used.

A bolt 40 extends through openings 4I and 42 of the central portion of the beam 30 and h-as nuts 43 and 44 threaded rthereon above and below the beam respectively. Washers 45 are interposed between the nuts and the beam surfaces. The upper end of the bolt 4D is threaded into a central boss 46 in a bracket 41 and is held against rotation therein by a pin 48. The bracket 41 is elongated and the ends of the bracket are loosely mounted in hanger brackets 49 and 50. A longi-v tudinal reinforcing web 5I is formed on the bracket. 41 and the ends of the webV 5A holdjthe bracket against endwise movement relative to the hanger brackets 49 and 50.

. the third bracket to theboard, means Ysecured to 49 and 59 are screwed to the under surface ofthe i board I by means of screws 52 and it Will be noted that the screws at the two ends of each bracket are offset.

The upper surface of the bracket '41 is slightly concave, as shown at'54 in Fig. ,3.

Y The lleveling mechanism operates in the following. manner. Assumingrst, that the board is slightly convex on its upper surface, 4as

in exaggerated .form in Fig. 5, the nut 4 3 will be screwed upwardly on the bolt '49 away from the washer surface of the beam 30 andthe ,nut 44 willibe :screwed upwardly Aagairzist the lower suriace of .thebeam 35, as shown `in lig. 5, thus causing adownward pull Aen -the bolt Manci also on the bracketilil. The downward pull on the bracket 41 -w-illjbe communicated to :the board it through the=hangerbrackets 49 and ,5a.

In Fig-G the upper surface of the board is. shown in exaggerated torn-1 -as concaved .and in order to level the board the nut .44 y'is ythreaded vdownwardlyon the bolt 49 and the nut 43 is also threaded downwardly so that the pressure of the nut 43 and washer 45 against the upper surface of the beam ywill cause the bolt 4B to be forced upwardly and this inY turn forces the bracket 4 1 upwardly against the under -surfacefof the board 9, thus effecting a lstraightening or leveling of the board. Y

Although one specific embodiment of the invention -has been particularly shown .and described it will beunderstood. that the invention is capable lof-modication .and that .changes .in the construction and in the arrangement .of .the various cooperating parts may be made without departing from the spirit or .scope `of the inven tion, as expressed vin the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. Leveling mechanism for game boardscomprising a pair or brackets to be xedly Asecured in transverse spaced relation beneath a game board to be leveled, means for. fxedlysecuring said brackets to the board, a rigid bar, 4rneansor Y securing saiiirigiabsr in xed position ,roland -beneatl'rsaid brackets, a third .bracket to be .secured Vto the under surface of the board between said first namedv brackets, means for securingV said third bracket and extending downwardly through said bar, and adjusting means on said Vdepending means ccacting with said bar to raise or lower said depending means and third bracket relative to said bar.

2- Leveling mechanism for game boards comprising a pair of brackets to be xedly secured in transverse spaced relation beneath a game board'to .be leveled, means for xedly securing said brackets to the board, a rigid bar, means for securing said rigid bar in xed position to and beneath said brackets, a third bracket to be secured to the under surface of the board between said rst named brackets, means for securing the third bracket to the board, a bolt secured to through said bar; and adjusting nuts above and below `said bar on said depending bolt ccacting tive tothe lends to. said p air o f. first, brackets, a bolt :secured to thebaseofsaidthird bracket interfmediate its ends andextending through .said bar, and means on said bolt and above and jbelowsaid bar forraising or lowering said. bolt and third bracket relative to *s {aclbarl` Leveling vmechan-isin fdr a game 4.board com.- prising a ixed,V rigid bar 'toV be secured at its ,ends to the game board to be'leveled, means for fixedly securing the ends of the bar to the vbear-C1, a bolt extending through an intermediateV portion Yof the bar, means .connecting .the 11p-per .end of me 'son .to me board, .and means on the boit fior adjusting the .bolt upwardly .or .downwardly rela- 'PAUL CUSANO.

REFERENGES CITED The following references areof record vin the file V.of .this patent:`

- UNITED STATES Numberv "Name Date 252,929 Carter Jan. 3,1, V18.82

932,118 Gerhardt A ug. 2 4, 1999 1,378,483 Olson lMlay 17, .1921 1,6361535 'Sherry July 119, 1.927 1,777,686 j Bagge Oct. Tl, 1930 1,795,624 `T reiber Mar. 10, '1931 1,845,532 f ritus 'F e.b .1t,19 32' 1,976,932 Forsberg Oct. 16., 1934 2,124,314v Robinson July 19, 1938 2,260,716 Kotler Oct. 28, 1.941 

